The Circle Began Somewhere
by DarkAngel4u
Summary: Destiny is like a circle, always continuing in a neverending pattern. But where, and why, did it begin? Read the tale of a girl named Selket, torn between all that she wanted...and what was meant to be. OC, set in ancient Egypt Memory Arc.
1. The Beginning of the End

Alright, this is my first fanfic this year. Please review and tell me what you think. I would very much appreciate it if one of the people on my Favorite Authors list reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, not even a page.

* * *

Prologue- Forgotten

The man's sandals stepped without a sound through the corridors of the ancient catacombs. In his hand he held a strange rod, seemingly made of solid gold. On the end was an orb, also of gold, imprinted with the eye of Horus1, with two pieces like the wings of a bat on either side. While the gold reflected the light coming from the torches, the eye made a light of its own. It was by this light that the man was led to the room he was searching for.

The room was rather small in comparison to the others. In it was a tablet, with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was obviously well kept, and mostly perfect for its ancient age. In front of it stood an altar, showing reverence to the tablet. The man stopped, and kneeled in front of it. After a few moments, he stood and withdrew a book from within his clothes. The book, much like the tablet, showed the same signs of living through many times; worn, the pages torn and tattered, but still perfect…

For the first time that night, he spoke. "You are a curse upon this family," he said, eyes on the book, filled with disgust. The book did not reply. "I will make sure the prophecy that you propose will never came to pass…" With that, the man thrust the rod forward and shouted an ancient word that had been nearly lost in time.

The eye glowed more then ever and the man watched as the book shuddered, and erupted into flames. The fire engulfed it, climbing up and surrounding the book like a fiery halo. And then it was gone, only white ash showing it had once existed. The man rubbed the ash into the sand. With an odd, satisfied smile, the man exited the room.

A wind whistled as it blew a single page across the room.

_All things are trapped in a cycle, a never-ending circle. Somehow, sometime, the circle began somewhere…and it can never be escaped._

And the page vanished, forgotten once again.

* * *

1. The Millennium eye, the symbol of the Millennium Items, is actually the eye of Horus, the symbol for the son of Isis and Osiris. He was also the last god to be king of Egypt, and invested his spirit into every human Pharaoh after him. (a.k.a. Yami/Atemu)

I love being so vague and short. But I promise (most) of the chapters won't be like this one. But it's a good start, no? If someone wants to take a shot at who the man is, the setting, and/or the tablet go ahead. If not, this part will be made clear at the end of the very last chapter.

* * *

Chapter 1- The Beginning of the End

Sunlight streamed from the window, illuminating the figure of a girl. She began to roll over to cast her face away from the harsh morning sunlight, but took a harsh breath and stopped. Had anyone been there to see her, one could see her tanned Egyptian skin, with long, rather messy black hair. She was pretty, for a young ten-year-old, but her most astounding feature was her eyes. At that moment she awoke revealing eyes the color of amethysts, bright with a young girl's glee and curiosity.

Fully awake, she tried to lift her head, but sudden waves of nausea and pain kept her down. The girl turned her head to the door, and now her affliction could clearly be seen. Her entire face, with the exception of her eyes and mouth, was wrapped in linen bandages.

A young boy appeared in the doorway that the girl was looking at. "Selket!" He called eagerly. The boy that had appeared was about two or three years older then the girl, with electric blue eyes and shoulder length white hair. Selket sat up slowly and spoke a quiet greeting to her fellow youth, smiling.

A thirteen-year-old Bakura ran across the room and landed with a heap next to Selket lying on the sheets. He was wearing a white kilt1 , with a sash with a large pouch around his waist. His chest was bare at the moment, and even though he was young showed signs of hard labor. Bakura also had three noticeable scars on the left side of his face, carved with the Knife of True Kings, an experience Selket had witnessed weeks before. It was the initiation every child at the age of ten received in Kul Elna, Egypt. The village of Kul Elna was renounced for being home to the best thieves and tomb robbers around the world. However, proof of this could never be found.

At that moment, a woman entered the room. She looked like an adult-sized version of Selket. "Bakura," Selket's mother, Tauret, said, worriedly, "be careful, dear. You remember how much it hurt when you received the initiation." Bakura stopped and looked thoughtful. Tauret walked up to Selket and kneeled so that she was eye level with Selket. Slowly and carefully, she unwrapped the bandages around Selket's face.

Selket leaned against her mother's hands, warm and gentle, eyes closing when she finally felt the hands touch her skin that had been wrapped for so long. Then she remembered Bakura was there. "Mo-om!" Selket shouted, pushing away. Tauret only chuckled. She stood and said, "You can go outside today, both of you," Bakura and Selket looked up eagerly. "Outside the-" "But you must stay inside the village," Tauret finished. With that, Tauret exited her home to do her chores.

There was silence between the two friends, Selket looking downtrodden. "It's no fair!" said Selket angrily. Bakura just looked at her, surprised. "You haven't been able to speak for weeks, and that's the first thing you say? I remember when I got my bandages off, I said the same first sentence I said as a baby."

"And what was that?"

"Mommy, I got a shit."2 Selket was on her on her stomach laughing. Bakura only grinned at his own joke. Selket stopped after a while (her new scars were starting to hurt), and trying to regain herself, said, "Seriously, Bakura. I've never been out of the village in my life! I thought at least my Mother would take me out of Kul Elna, like your fa-" Bakura leaned forward and put his hand on her mouth. Selket stopped talking, and he slowly removed his hand. Bakura's voice lowered to a whisper. "Shhh, that's a secret, remember? You're not supposed to leave unless you've finished training. Especially if you're a girl." Selket shuddered at the word "training". Under the noses of the guards sent from the palace, special children were trained in the "ways of the thief". Both her and Bakura were being trained, and it was long, hard, and most of the time even more painful then receiving the scars. In Selket's case, her father was in charge of training her. Khonsu, his name was. Khonsu taught her how to pick pockets, hide in shadows. the like. She loved him when he was teaching her new things. But sometimes he hurt her…3 But Bakura didn't need to know that.

"Selket! Selket, are you listening?" Bakura's voice floated over her and came down, breaking her thoughts. "What?" Bakura sighed. "If your not going to listen to me anyway, I might as well take you," he said. Selket jumped onto Bakura, hugging him, knocking him over in the process. He laughed and then smiled, "I'll take that as a thank you. We'll go, but you have to promise never to reveal this to anyone. Pinky promise?" Selket got off Bakura and smiled even wider. "Pinky promise," she said, as their fingers linked.

They shook fingers, and they broke the link. Bakura hesitated, then withdrew a book from his large pouch. He handed it to Selket.

"What's this thing?" Selket asked, thumbing through the papyrus book. The blank contents baffled her.

"It's called a diary. The older girls in the village have them, and I figured…that is, I thought you'd like one too. You write things you've done in them and-and things you hope for. Things like that," Bakura said quickly. He wasn't used to "girl things" like that.

Selket stopped looking at the book and shifted her gaze to Bakura, emotion in her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

Bakura returned the gaze, saying, "Remember your promise. We go tomorrow morning, when your Mother leaves." With that, Bakura left the house, Selket staring after him.

_

* * *

__Hello Diary,_

_Mi name is Selket. it feels funny saying my name to a book but my friend Bakura gave you to me so its Ok. He pinkypromised me to go out kul elna tomorrow. Thats our village._

_i was getting ready most of today. i was geting mi money when i triped over a book like you. It looked hard but it was soft like moms hands. It has weird stuf in it like How to Obtain the Power of Darkness and stuf. It says that word darkness and shadows a lot too._

_i'm ready for tommorow and I think I'll bring you along. In my prayers to the gods and goddesses I thanked Ra the Almighty for Bakura and you too. im going to bed soon._

Selket put the diary and her etching stick underneath her sleeping cloths. She had written by the light of a burning torch, dipping the etching stick in the black ash to form the words on the papyrus. She had been careful not to wake her parents, especially her father, and did not want to risk being caught a moment longer. Even as a ten-year-old she knew staying awake at this time of night would not please them, and if they found out she could read, she knew father would hurt her again. She was about to douse the torch when she hesitated. Slowly, she fumbled under her sleeping cloths for a strange, almost unfamiliar feel. Grasping what she sought, she brought out another book.

The book was like she had described it in her diary; it was yellowish-pink with black around the edges, with the eye of Horus imprinted in the middle. She touched it with her hand, palm-down on the cover, and felt a rush of…something.

Without quite knowing it, Selket opened the book and found herself looking at a page labeled "The Way….". With her mediocre reading ability, Selket could not read the rest of the title. Looking down the page, she saw a few simple lines. She began to read aloud.

"_Lord of Darkness, Master of Cha-os, grant me that which I…I de…de-sire…"_

Selket leaned closer to the torchlight, as the room seemed to grow darker.

"Give me the power of tha..the Dark fire.."  
Darker still. "Destruction when the need is dire…" 

"_I give a piece of my soul to the sire"_

The book flew out of the young girls hands and lay open, floating a good three feet off the floor. Selket began to scream when a black fire engulfed her, cutting off her voice. She couldn't move or even cry as the fire lifted her off the floor. It swirled about her, not painful but not pleasant. And then the words she had read from the book glowed, red like blood, and disappeared. Selket's opened eyes looked confused for a moment, then they shut tight from sharp jolts of pain.

A twisting, binding pattern was engraving itself into her arm, leaving a trail of blood on her arm. If she could talk she would be screaming and crying and…but the Darkness held her back.

Darkness?

Selket looked around, confused. The book was in her hands. No fire surrounded her. Nothing was wrong that she could see.

Selket lay down on the sleeping cloths, confused from her child's nightmare but ready to sleep. It wasn't until she closed her eyes that she remembered. There was no light from the torch anymore.

* * *

Alright, alright. That was weird. Sorry there wasn't much romance or angst in that, but I was just laying the outline down in that chapter. Its only the beginning. Please R & R.

1. I think thats what the clothing they wore was. If somebody knows the actual name, please tell me.

2. Hey, back when you were 10, the worst and funniest thing you could do was curse.

3. Details later, if you'd like.


	2. Gains and Losses

I apologize; I know it's been a while. I was away. Firstly, I warn readers now: I will keep this PG-13/T, only suggestive. You'll know why I said that in a few moments. I also dedicate this chapter to Leona Saclat, Angelgirl453, Yugi's Light Keeps Me Pure, and RedEyesDarknessDragonLady.

Disclaimer: I repeat, I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! IT IS "NOT THE PROPERTY OF THE UPDATING WRITER"! huff

* * *

Chapter 2_- _Gains and Losses

"_No! I don't want to!" A pair of hands grabbed at her, pulling her back. When she continued to struggle, she was lifted up and thrown harshly to the floor. Sharp pains ran throughout her body. Still she continued to scream. "Please! Not again! It hurts, Fa -" The cries stopped when she was kicked in the ribs. Without her own noise, she could hear the sounds of captor. He was breathing hard, husky breaths, and even in the dark she could feel her Father's eyes on her. And the awful smell of sweat and alcohol. "Shut up!" he said with a bit of a slur. He leaned down, positioned on top of Selket, pinning her down. He ripped at her again, and whispered in her ear… "You are mine..."_

Selket sat up, hot and sweaty. The dream had reoccurred for days on end, since the actual thing happened. She shook her head to rid herself of the memory.

Looking around her surroundings, she found afternoon sunlight already pouring through the window, as well as a piece of papyrus on the ledge below. It was addressed to her Father.

_My Dear Khonsu,_

_I hope you read this before you leave. I have been called by the Pharaoh's soldiers to work there for a time. I don't know why just yet, but I will let you know soon. Take good care of Selket!_

_With all my love,_

_Tauret _

She couldn't believe it. How could her mother abandon her like that? Leaving her with Father, going out of the village without- out of the village? Selket jumped as she remembered her plans with Bakura. All things forgotten, Selket grabbed her book from underneath the cloths and rushed out the door.

* * *

Selket ran to the edge of Kul Elna, to the palm tree that had become the "secret base" of Bakura's and hers. She wasn't surprised Bakura was already there. It was afternoon, after all.

As she slowed to a walk, Bakura made a mention to Selket to follow him. Then he turned and made his way quickly across the sand. Selket followed in suit. Soon they reached the outskirts of the village and disappeared, completely unnoticed.

* * *

Selket couldn't believe the city, the palace, was only a short walk from her village. She had never seen such a place. So many things to buy lined the streets; carts filled with food of all kinds, exotic clothes in every color possible, jewelry- and the people! The streets at home were always empty, and the streets here were crowded, the city echoing with voices, so many different languages, sounds, clothing, everything! It took all Bakura's strength to keep her moving. Though he'd never admit it, he was just as awed.

However, it didn't take long for Selket to realize she could never have any of it. She knew the people of Kul Elna lived the lives of the poor, and just being among the rich made her feel like she didn't belong. A pauper among princes. It gave a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, her first taste of envy. Suddenly Bakura started. "Wanna see how good I've gotten?" Selket looked at him. "C'mon, Selket. You know you want something. I bet I can steal anything from anyone of these slowpokes! Take your pick!"

Selket wanted immediately to see it. But then she remembered her Father. Still, she wanted so much to see Bakura…Then she had an idea.

Selket scanned the crowd looking for a person who looked impossibly hard to steal from. At last, she spotted a man that was no younger then thirty years. He wore a long, all white robe with a gold fastening with the eye of Horus engraved in it- a symbol of magic. No doubt he was a mage of some sort. He was also surrounded by guards.

Selket pointed. "That one." She expected Bakura to back down, chicken out, anything but advance toward the man. Bakura disappeared into the crowd.

_/Oh no…./_

Selket sprinted after her friend and ran straight into…the man. She collided with him and bounced off.

"Lord Akenaden!" a guard shouted. The man (Lord Akenaden?) merely glanced down at Selket. Selket's heart skipped a few beats as she saw two guards approach them, not looking too happy.

"Leave me. I am fine," Akenaden said in his grave voice. The two guards hesitated, then turned their backs and retreated. Selket took this moment to get to her feet, but Akenaden had looked at her again, and she decided she couldn't run. "S-sorry, sir," Selket stammered, backing up slowly. "It is alright," he replied. "From where did you travel from?" Selket hesitated again. "The village…Kul Elna." Akenaden looked at her hard "Kul Elna? The- what! Akenaden turned around, and both he and Selket stared at Bakura. Bakura looked very much like a deer in the headlights1, standing directly behind the man, one hand stretched out. Then he ran passed the man, grabbed Selket and made a run for it down the street. "Thieves! Catch them!" shouted Akenaden. The guards began to pursue the two.

"Bad bad bad bad…" muttered Bakura repeatedly. Selket looked behind her and was unhappy to see the guards in close pursuit, pushing over carts that were in their way.

Her eyes widened as Selket watched her diary fall from within her pocket onto the street.

She stopped and started to run back to retrieve her lost item. Bakura suddenly pulled her and continued to drag her through the streets.

Selket tried to turn back again. The guards were closing in on them. _/No/ _she thought. _/We'll get caught! Stop, trip over and break your heads, you meanies, don't catch us, can't catch us…No/ _

As if answering her thoughts, a guard suddenly toppled over, tripping over a cart that had landed in his way. Another cart near to that one slowly began to turn. It tipped and toppled over with the full weight of gravity directly in the path of the other guard, spewing fruits all over the ground. A large mob formed over the spilled goods, blocking the guard's way. Selket turned back and kept running.

* * *

Bakura and Selket made it out of the city and hide behind the walls. "That…was close," said Bakura panting. "But not close enough." He put his hand into his pocket and grinned. He withdrew a small bag of money, sagging under the weight of the coins. "See? I told you," he said smugly. Selket smiled.

Bakura pocketed the money again. "What did you drop?" he asked. Selket stopped smiling and looked down. "Sorry, Bakura…That was your present." Bakura stared at her. "No it wasn't. You dropped something pink and black. The diary was brown." Selket looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. _/The Way…The Way of Darkness…/ _

* * *

Akenaden paused in the middle of the street. He picked up a book, with black and fleshy pink edges, imprinted with the eye of Horus in the middle. He looked at it carefully. "Kul Elna, eh?"

* * *

Cliffie! I'm so sorry once again about the delay.

1."deer in the headlights" didn't exist yet. Whoops.

Angelgirl453- Glad you liked it. I ain't saying nothing.

Leona Saclat- Thank you so much! It was really nice of you to give me recognition, plus to put me on your favorite authors list. Thanks again!

RedEyesDarknessDragonLady- Thank you for the review! The first chapter was really that good? Ne, I'm very glad you enjoy it so much.


	3. The First Step

Hope you liked last chapter. Oh, I don't care if you'd reviewed already; keep reviewing so I know somebody's reading. This chapter is dedicated to Leona Saclat and to monkeymasterb for the uplifting comments. To all the other people who've reviewed, thank you!

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would be writing fanfiction because…? No, I don't own it.

* * *

Chapter 3- The First Step

Pharoah Akhenamkhanen walked into the throne room still dressed in his war gear. Unfortunately, being a warrior of Egypt was a requirement for being a Pharaoh. But at the time, there were so many rebels, power-hungry sinners eager to corrupt the order. Setting out to kill them often resulted in killing innocents as well.

Akhenamkhanen only wished for peace by now. Exhausted, he threw himself into the golden throne. It took him a few moments to see Lord Akenaden.

"What it is, my brother?" asked the Pharaoh, rather tiredly.

Akenaden stepped forward. "Brother Akhenamkhanen, I have found a way to rid the land of the people who rebel against Egypt. As well as taking care of another matter…"

Akhenamkhanen sat up and leaned forward. "How so?"

Akenaden reached into his robes and pulled out an all too familiar book. He turned the cover to face Akhenamkhanen.

"This may be the answer to our problems...This book has a spell within that will bring peace to our land..."

"Stop playing games, my brother. What does this spell do?"

Akenaden continued. "This spell creates seven items, which can find, evaluate, and seal away the evil in sinners. They can also be seen as a negotiation between our nations, uniting them as one."

"And there is no price for all this?"

Akenaden paused for a moment. "Unfortunately, there is a heavy price to pay...but let me worry about that..."

"I trust that your decision to make this sacrifice is wise. But...who will pay it?"

"Trust me, brother. Let me use a few of your armies, and I will make my proposal come true...if it is the will of the Pharaoh. It will be the first step on a path to greatness."

"Who will pay?"

Silence. Then...

"You recall-"

CLANG! An ornament fell heavily to the floor, and behind it stood three Egyptian boys, all adorned in gold.

"Look what you've done! They'll see us!"

"Shhhh!"

"You shhhh!"

Akhenamkhanen stood up straight. "Atemu, Shada, Seto! Now what did I tell you about playing in the throne room? You know it's forbidden!"

The three boys cringed.

"Leave, now!"

Atemu and Seto scrambled for the exit and soon disappeared. However, Shada only made it to the door before taking advantage of the door's concealing shadow.

Akenaden cleared his throat.

"Do you recall the village of Kul Elna?"

* * *

Dear Diary,

Mothers away, but im not too skared. i went to the city today with Bakura. it was a mazing! i hav never seen anithing so fun. the street had so mani people and carts and stuff. not like Kul Elna at all. Bakura tried to steal from this really tall man. we had to run and I dropped the other book. I thought it had been you, but it wasnt. i knew the

Selket stopped short when she heard a noise. And then again. A bang, a crash.

"SELKET!"

It took a moment to for her to recognize the voice. Father!

Panic overtook her. Get Out NOW! screamed over and over in her head. Within seconds, she had raced for the door, either purposefully or subconsciously taking the diary along with her. She left the house, running in fear as it erupted into flames.

* * *

Selket ran toward the setting sun, believing the yellow gold light and the heat to be coming from it. She turned sharply, struggling to get away. The movement caused her to lose her balance. Her arms flailed and she fell backwards, preparing to hit the sand...But instead her body felt nothing beneath her as she tumbled into darkness.

* * *

Selket opened her eyes to see where she had landed. A long flight of stairs stretched out before her. 

Selket rubbed her head as she rose to look around the room she had fallen in. For the most part it was empty, except a large, red wheel along the wall among various chains and ropes. A "cat of nine tails" whip hung from a hook among other various ropes. A torture chamber.

However, Selket didn't see it for its true nature. She wandered in to the wheel and-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Selket turned to see a boy about 15 standing at the foot of the stairs, his empty blue eyes focused on her. Shada.

"Your friends, however, may face the same fate as others who have entered here."

Selket gaped. "Wh-what?"

"It is the will of the Pharaoh," he continued. "You have taken your first step on a dangerous path...tread lightly."

Selket turned to look at the wheel again. This time she noticed the wheel had originally been wood brown, and was now the color of blood.

Then turning around, she began to ask, "Who-"

The boy was gone.

Suddenly, Selket heard a scream, followed by an explosion. Eyes wide, Selket raced towards the stairs, towards the chaos that reigned above her head.

* * *

Short chapter, I know. R & R. And thank you very much, Leona!


	4. Sacrifices

Sorry, long time no write. I warn you now that this chapter's sick, so you can skip it if you'd like. Now- on with the fic! Thanks again to Leona Saclat.

Disclaimer: Let me put it down plain and simple- I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

/…/ symbolize thinking.

* * *

Chapter 4- Sacrifices

Selket ran up the stone steps, heart racing. When she came to the top of the stairs she stopped. Another scream made its way to her ears. Closer. And as sudden as it began, the screaming stopped. /_What's going on?_/

Selket peered out of the stairway to see what was going on. The first thing she saw was the back of a man- Selket recognized him as a neighbor. He was yelling something, screaming at whatever he was facing /_what are you looking at, Mr.?_/.

Then the man stopped. He made choking sounds, and now Selket could tell why- protruding through the middle of his back was a small, red point. The point disappeared and the man fell to the ground. And in front of him was a palace guard. /_who…?_/

The guards were everywhere. Selket was sure there were hundreds- the same gold headdresses, white skirts all over the streets…each with a red-bladed scimitar. A few bodies were on the streets, red pools forming beneath them.

However, most of the guards surrounded the centre of the town- Selket strained to see what they were doing. Then she saw the people. Selket knew them. She recognized them as villagers. /_what?_/

They were lined up, the guards surrounding them with unsheathed swords. The line consisted of what looked like the entire population of Kul Elna, lined up neatly in front of …a vat atop of flaming wood. The vat was simply a very large, short and black vase, really, but it had steps in front of it with a small platform. And on one side of the platform was another guard, but this one with a double-bladed sword. Next to the vat - the only person unguarded - was a man in white robes, muttering and holding an open book.

And then at a guard pushed the person- a young boy- in front of the line forward. Selket watched as the boy walked up the steps until he was leaning over the open top of the vat. Then a guard standing at the platform grabbed the boy, pushing his head so his neck was exposed over the vat. Then the guard raised his sword high above his head, and brought it down on the-

Selket slid against the wall to the floor. She brought her knees and head to her chest, covering her eyes, perhaps in hopes of ceasing to exist in this nightmare. But the sounds kept coming.

The sounds! Load shouts and terrified wails of children, frightened yelling and battle cries, strange chanting and angry roaring - and above it all was the screaming. One after another as they fell, villagers screams were heard and cut short. Screaming and yelling and crying and rife dying all joining together in a sickening chorus of terror.

/_stop..._/ Another scream. /_…I want to die…/ _Suddenly, the stairway darkened as a body rolled down the staircase. It stopped on front of Selket, with vacant, open eyes and a slit thought. Those eyes seemed to tell her to join it…"_Come to me, come…_"

Selket ran out of the stairwell into the open air. She sprinted over the sand, only running with no direction /_just kill me…do it, why don't you_/

She found herself outside the walls of Kul Elna. /_How..?_/ Then the sky turned red as smoke filled the air, and the smell of burning flesh. /_No…_/

"Nooo!" Wait, that wasn't her. Someone else was alive!

Selket turned to see Bakura in the arms of two guards. He was bleeding, and yet shouting at the top of his lungs. Then a guard raised his sword…

/Bakura_, no! Let him go! You monsters! I wish you would just die…die…_DIE/

(flash)

The guards dropped and hit the sand. The sand served as a sponge for their blood that spilled from their eyes and mouth…

Selket dropped to the sand too, letting the tears flow. And who wouldn't, having lost everything? Except…

Bakura crawled over and put his arms around her, holding her close. They stayed like that, crying and holding each other, until the day closed in around them.

/Never lose me…never./

* * *

I scare myself sometimes, I do. It had to happen. In truth, Kul Elna is destroyed in the manga…I'll be quiet now. R and R. 


	5. Childhood's End

12. Reviews. Thank you all so much! This chapter is dedicated to my newest reviewers Gardevoir-Mages, the amazing new writer RedEyesBlackDragonLady, and of course, Leona Saclat.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh I do not own.

Chapter 5- Childhood's End

_Dear Diary,_

_i cant get those picturs out of mi head. i wake up at nite, screaming. but Bakura says we hav to be quiet. but i no he wakes up screaming to. now Kul Elna is gone, we stay at a building in the palace town. i thought that we'd get caught that way and i told him but Bakura said they think everyones dead. as long as we hide our scars we're ok._

_the building is a little dirty but its ok. Bakura says it's a tavern but i've heard pple call it a bar. when u go in theres this big space with tables and chairs. The tables and chairs are little so theres a lot of them, but there almost always full. _

_Bakura and me live upstairs. During the day we work at the bar cleaning up and serving pple. Its hard espiacilly when the pple begin to go all weird and act the way my Father did around me. I get scared a lot, but not so much when Bakura is there._

_At night, Bakura and me steal. Its what we were made to do, so we get a lot of stuff from it. We live on it._

_Finally we learned to steal from tombs. They're those triangle shaped statues that rich pple bury there stuff in. I heard they're special and shouldn't be touched, but we did anyway. It was easy to find though. You can just follow the Nile. _

Selket stood gawking at the pyramid in front of her. Bakura had said it was much larger up close, but…

"Come on!" came Bakura's hurried whisper. He grabbed Selket's arm and dragged her to the back of the tomb.

Bakura suddenly let go and she fell backward into the sand. "Don't stand there like that, you'll get us caught! And this time, we won't be able to get away if you mess up again!" Bakura shouted quietly, the top of his nose scrunching up in a scowl that he always did when he got mad.

Selket looked down to hide her eyes, which were welling up with tears.

Bakura let out an exasperated sigh, and his expression softened. "Well…I guess its all right. No harm done, right?"

Selket sniffled once and got up.

"Come on, Selket."

With that, Bakura turned back towards the pyramid. Selket followed behind him soundlessly.

Bakura didn't stop until he was at the very base of the tomb. Then he knelt down and began to dig in the sand. A few minutes later the sand gave way on its own and revealed a large hole.

"Do you have the torch?" he asked Selket. Selket nodded and handed the wood to Bakura. He took it and scraped it against the pyramid's wall, sparks flying everywhere. A flame slowly grew from the sparks.

With the torch in hand, Bakura led the way into the hole, the secret passage into the pyramid.

* * *

It was extremely cold and dark in the tomb. The only thing visible was what was in front of the torch light. 

Selket couldn't help but shiver. It wasn't only the cold that made her squirm, but fear. She knew well what often happened to tomb robbers; there was reason thieving was a terminal job. But Bakura seemed to know where he was going…

They came to a large, empty room. On the other side was a single door with an elaborately decorated stone canopy above it. "There it is…The burial room," said Bakura.

The two began to cross the room. Suddenly Selket tripped over something. She fell forward and knocked into Bakura. "Ah! I'm sorry, B-Bakura," she stammered, regaining her balance. He grunted and turned towards Selket, effectively illuminating her- as well as what made her trip.

A yellowing skull with an arrow in its forehead grinned at Bakura.

Selket covered her mouth (to avoid screaming for dear life) and jumped back. Bakura only narrowed his eyes and held the torch out farther.

All along the walls were skeletons, some yellowed, some still decaying, lining the walls. Each, however, seemed to have met the same fate: each one was covered in arrows. The skeleton's heads were aways from the bodies, taken off cleanly.

Bakura and Selket backed away slowly.

There was a clicking sound.

"Cli-?"

"DUCK!"

The two hit the floor as arrows shot from the walls. The arrows barely missed them as they passed overhead.

Soon the arrows stopped. Even so, Bakura and Selket remained on the floor for a few more moments. At last, Selket got up.

"That was close…but how?-" There was another click as Bakura threw himself on top of Selket, followed by a crack as pain shot up her arm.

Fwap! Something flew across the room that was too fast for their eyes. But when Bakura got up, the part of his hair that had been sticking up was chopped off.

"A death trap under a death trap, eh? Clever, very clever…idiot aristocrats," he muttered.

"Uh…ah… Bakura? Ow," came a pained voice. Bakura turned around and looked at Selket. Her wrist was bent awkwardly, and her breath came a bit too quickly and harshly.

They both groaned.

_

* * *

_

Later that night at their upstairs room…

Bakura was wrapping Selket's broken wrist, Selket sniffling.

"I-I'm so sorry! Sorry, sorry, sso SORRY!" she was whimpering

Bakura finished the wrapping. "Selket, be quiet, that's the hundredth time you've said that- and for the hundredth time IT'S FINE!"

Selket quieted down immediately, but still protested. "But Bakura, if we got killed, it would have been my fault-"

"But we didn't, did we?"

"T-that's true…but if I hadn't broken my wrist, we could have gotten more treasure…"

"Come on, 'Ket! We got plenty. Besides, I was the one who broke your wrist in the first place."

Selket had nothing to say to that.

"You know what, 'Ket? Make me a promise. Promise me you'll never say you're sorry unless you absolutely have to. Got it?"

Selket nodded.

Bakura left her side to stand by the window. It was almost dawn, at least. A single shooting star flew across the brightening sky.

"Hey, 'Ket?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you know that you can make a wish on a shooting star?" Bakura asked.

No response.

"Well, I'd wish that we could just dig a whole right under the tombs and get to the treasure right away! O-or better yet, I wish we could go right through stone!"

Selket laughed. "That's impossible! Really, Bakura, you try too hard!"

"Well, what would _you _wish for?" he retorted.

"I can't," Selket replied.

Bakura snorted, "Why not?"

Selket shook her head, "Someone once told me…when there's a shooting star, someone is dying..."

They were interrupted by a shout from downstairs.

"HEY! Get up you two! There's a customer! You take care of 'im while I go to bed."

Bakura blinked. "A customer? This late?"

Selket shook her head. "Let's just go, Bakura."

"What? No way in Ra you're going! They'll wonder how you got that wrist, and besides, you should rest. Let me handle this."

Before Selket could protest, Bakura had gone, leaving Selket to stare at his back once more.

* * *

"…Ket, Selket, get up!" 

"Mmmmph?"

Selket had done as Bakura said and had went to bed. But now he was waking her up?

"Waz a matter, Kura?" she said groggily.

Bakura stopped pushing her and went to their gold stash. He rummaged through it until he had a golden statue of Bastet, one of the more expensive pieces of their horde.

"Bakura, what are you doing!" Selket yelled.

"Come see!" he yelled back.

Bakura made his way downstairs, Selket following closely behind. Once there, he ran over to a man sitting at one of the tables.

Selket took a good look at the man. He was nothing special that Selket could see, just the usual kilt and men's robes…but his sandstorm headdress had fallen off, revealing three all-too familiar scars…

Realization dawned. "He's from Kul Elna, isn't he?"

Bakura grinned. "Yep. And he says he knows why the village was destroyed…"

"Damn right I do (hic)!" the man said. "Now, (hic) do you have my payment?"

Bakura handed him the statue.

The man smiled and looked at Bakura and Selket, who had taken seats in front of the man.

"Eh? This isn't no bedtime story, kiddies. (hic) Get the girl outta here."

Selket began to get up, but Bakura scowled at him angrily. "She saw they whole thing, just like I did. She has to listen this, too."

The man snorted. "Have it your way, then," he said, "Firsly, have you heard the tale of the Millennium Items?"

They hadn't.

He continued, "Anyway, there was the Pharoah Akhenamkhanen, right? He wanted a new 'millennium' of peace for his country. So, (hic) 'to stamp out all evil, to purge all sinners, he left us seven holy items imbued with the power of justice and righteousness'."

"But the _truth_ behind it is that they were made from black magic from an evil book!"

Selket's eyes widened. Bakura frowned, "But what does this have to do with Kul Elna?"

The man started, "Hush, boy, I ain't done yet! Anyway, according to the book, with the items you could make a contract with the dark spirits of the afterworld. You could rule the world with the shadow powers of the evil god Zorc!"

"The way you do tha' is you put all the Millenium items together. Now a days there's a shrine in Kul Elna that has a tablet in it. All ya need to do is put the items in it and BOOM! You're all set."

"And ya want to know why the shrine's in Kul Elna? It's because the creation of the items required a blood sacrifice. 99 people sacrificed, (hic) to be exact. You boiled their blood an' said some words and that's how the Millennium Items were created."

Selket looked shocked, but Bakura got to his feet and yelled.

"So let me get this straight. The Pharoah, whatever his name was, killed 99 people, OUR people, just for power?"

"Yessir. (hic) Just to get more power fer himself."

Bakura sat back down, head down, scowling.

Selket was just as angry. To kill so many for greed… /I hate him…I hate the Pharoah, I hate that book…_my_ book./

Slam! The tavern door opened with a bang.

"You there! Thief!" Four guards now stood in the doorway, glaring at the man.

The man, however, had passed out. Unable to defend himself, the four guards dragged him out of the bar.

_We never did see him again. Feh, I remember that night so clearly, even eight years later. Eight years. Eight years since then, eight years of being reduced to this…Are you happy now, Pharaoh? You better be, because we're going to shake you out of your greedy little wonderland. We've got a plan, Bakura and I, and we're gonna take you down. We'll take all you have, your dreams, and even the power you killed are people for. You know, revenge is only sweet. _

* * *

That was my longest chapter yet! It gets longer now that we're out of Selket's childhood. 

I have a favor to ask of the reviewers; my summary for this story has been bugging the hell out of me (I'm bad at summaries --;). Would you be so kind as to give me an idea for writing a new one? And now, I give the following people my thanks.

Gardevoir-Mages- Firstly, thank you all for the helpful reviews. Secondly, I'd like to answer them.

1. I was wondering what the original name was; Akunadin. However, in the version I got the name from (found in Shonen Jump) is Akenaden.

2. Sorry, I should have made the ages clear. I should warn you, my ages might be different from the actual ones, because no more then 8 years could pass from the childhood time to present time. Also, looks can be deceiving; did you know that Pegasus was in his twenties, Isis was 20, and Rishid was only about 26? Its scary. And I meant to put Mahaado in with the trio. Don't worry, he will be in the story soon…Thank you once again for pointing those things out.

Ages Key: First begining age, then the current age.

Selket: 10, 18

Bakura: 13, 21

Akenaden: 34, 42

Shada: 16, 24

Seto: 10, 18

Atemu: 9, 17

Mahaado: 16, 24

And more as characters are revealed…

RedEyesBlackDragonLady- Thank you! I'm glad you remembered this story. You reviewed in the earlier chapters before, did you not? Anyway, thanks again and congrats on your first (and great) story!

Leona Saclat- Thank you so much. You're my first loyal fan…I take to heart what you said. You're awesome, you know that?


	6. True Disguises

Yes, there had been a change in my profile. There had also been a change in this story's summary, with some inspiration from Leona Saclat. Thank you! I'd also like to thank Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCaptor, Chynna (aka sistah21), weiss kittyn and Yami no Tsuabsa.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, and never will.

* * *

Chapter 6- True Disguises

Waiting was quite tiresome. Selket had been doing so for nearly an hour, and was bored to say the least. She was sitting underneath a palm tree on the outskirts of a tiny village called Udjat.

She yawned once. It was quickly stifled when Selket heard footsteps. She used the trunk of the palm to keep from being seen.

Two men passed by on horseback at a trot. On normal bases, Selket would have stayed where she was. But it was too easy to recognize the Eye of Horus on their clothing and the horses- Pharaoh's men. /_Well, this could prove to be entertainment._ /

Quickly and silently, Selket rose from under the palm tree and followed the riders at a walk. Soon the walk became a run as caught up to them, but remained unseen.

As the trot became a gallop, Selket took a leap and landed on the back of one of the horses. Before the rider could react, Selket had unsheathed a dagger and slit his throat.

It took a few moments for his fellow to notice. When he looked over, he nearly fell off his horse when he saw his friend limply leaning over the neck of the horse. And with Selket there, who was waving hello with her bloody dagger.

She smirked as she saw the fear on his face. Then, leaning over the body, Selket grabbed the horse's reigns. She snapped the reigns to the side, causing the horse to veer directly in front of the other one. The other horse skidded to a halt, giving time for Selket to thrust herself forward and stab the rider. Now both men lay dead on their horses.

Selket jumped off the horse as swiftly as she had getting on. She calmed both the animals down a bit (and made sure the riders wouldn't fall off) before a hit to the behinds caused them to run off into the desert, carrying the corpses with them.

Selket smiled her accomplishment. Satisfied, she moved to sheath her dagger. However, all she gripped was air. Her smile became a frown as she confusedly looked at her empty hand.

Someone laughed loudly. She turned around to see her old friend standing behind her. He dangled her dagger between his fingers playfully.

"Having fun?" Bakura said teasingly. Selket growled as she reached for her dagger, only to have Bakura pull it away again.

He laughed again, then it back. "Too bad…I had thought you would have more interest in today's little ploy then in a little knife…" Bakura said, chuckling all the while.

"Oh? Do tell…"

* * *

Selket sat by the Nile, washing clothes among some other women. However, she was also staring at her reflection. The person in the water was certainly a stranger, because her complexion was scar-free.

Bakura had given her a pouch with powder in it, which he said was called "make-up" (though Selket had absolutely no idea what Bakura was making up for). He told her to apply it to her scars, and that it would hide them flawlessly. But, of course, if the make-up was undone, her scars would return. So she had to be careful. But then again, a thief was always careful.

The other women around Selket were collecting their wash and leaving. After quickly applying a little more make-up, she did the same and followed them. The other women chattered as they walked on the path up the bank. They soon went off the path to the slaves' houses while Selket continued on.

The path ended at the work field. Millions of slaves practically covered every grain of sand in the area. A good few carrying supplies, others making stone out of mud, a few building devices, even hauling bricks, and yet many lay motionless in sand.

Selket scowled in disgust. /_Weak fools…_/ she thought to herself. How could anyone serve a human being who was a "God"?

She moved down from the path and was lost in the crowd of slaves. Though no one paid her mind, she still scanned them for the slave-drivers. She stopped when something interesting caught her attention.

The crowd around her was stepping back, moving away from something. It took a moment for Selket to realize why.

In the middle of where the crowd had been moments before was a stone statue. /_A very large one, at that_/ Selket remarked/_but this crowd…what is it?_/. At least a hundred slave-men surrounded the statue, each holding a rope.

A slave driver waved to the slaves. On this signal, the men started pulling.

As the statue began to rise, Selket was amazed as to what she saw. It was a statue of a creature. It looked remarkably like a bird, but not quite. It had a long tail which was partially wrapped around a leg that looked like a bird's, but much, much thicker. The statue was crouched on these legs but its upper body balanced the weight. Selket could see it had lizard-like hands, sharp claws protruding from the fingertips. The head looked like no bird she had seen before however. Like an eagle, but monstrous.

That was what it was. A monster. But Selket could not help but to be mesmerized by its wings jetting out of its back, unfolded and extended as if it was trying to reach the sun itself.

"The hawk with the wings of the sun…" someone whispered behind her, "It is said to be the Pharaoh's guardian spirit, sent to protect the Almighty Pharaoh by Ra himself."

"So is it a God?" somebody else asked.

"I suppose so," said the first one.

The conversation was cut short when a loud yell echoed through the crowd. The statue began tilting .towards Selket's area in the crowd. There were more yells to grab the ropes, but it was too late; the statue was toppling over. Its shadow covered Selket as well as many of the slaves as it fell. Many of the slaves were running from the crowd to safety. Selket tried to move but the crowd was still too thick. /_I can't move…! Stop it _NOW/

(flash)

As the statue was almost upon them, it was flung the other direction by an invisible force. The statue stood upright on its base and wobbled. It stilled itself quickly and all was silent.

The crowd was deathly silent. Then a man pointed to Selket and whispered a single word that chilled Selket's blood to the bone, "Demon. A demon in disguise…".

"Demon," the crowd echoed. "Demon! Demon! DEMON!" The crowd shouted. They backed away from Selket hastily. "DEMON! DEMON!" Someone threw a small rock. It hit her square in the forehead. Another rock was thrown, this time hitting her in the stomach. Selket doubled over. More rocks were thrown, people shouting all the while.

Selket sunk down to the sand in a tight ball, arms covering her face in an attempt to stop the pain. The rocks pelted against her skin, opening wounds on her arms, hands, face, and legs. Blood dripped from and covered her entire body. Tears of pain and hurt ran down her cheeks, mixing with the blood. /_Stop…stop…_ST_-_/

Her single-worded thoughts were broken as someone lifted her up. The rocks were gone. Selket willed herself to struggle against them but found she could not. Instead, she let the feeling of being in another's arms lull her to sleep.

* * *

When Selket woke up she was still being carried, but her grogginess wasn't letting her see where. She felt her body be laid gently on top of something soft. After a while she could hear footsteps growing fainter and the closing of a door. Voices could be heard outside the door. The voices continued for a time before growing silent, finally leaving Selket alone.

She laid there for a while, then slowly lifted herself up. She blinked to clear her vision and finally looked at her surroundings.

She was on sleeping cloths, but they were the softest she had ever been in and were high off the floor. The room she was in was mostly a shade of tan, with a few fine tapestries. The windows had curtains over them, making the room seem darker. It was clean and fragrant, easily making it the nicest room she had been in in the longest time.

From where she was sitting, Selket could see there was another room with the door left wide open. Curious, Selket got off the bedding slowly and limped her way to it. Inside was a bath, with a water bucket next to it. Near the bath was a shiny square hanging on the wall. Letting her curiosity take the better of her again, Selket looked into the square.

Selket held back a gasp as she saw herself in it. However, her attention changed from the new object to the fact she was still covered in her own blood. She looked at the bath. She might as well take advantage of it.

After a long time, Selket came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. A robe had been laid on the bedding. Not caring when or why the clothes had appeared, she slowly dressed before getting back into the bed. From there, Selket fell into a deep sleep.

_That certainly was a memorable day. I never expected it to turn out like it did though. No matter. Of course, Bakura just had to cut a few strings on his 'little ploy'- or perhaps you could say he 'cut a few ropes' this time. Heh. To tell you the truth, I never want to go through that again. But of course, the Pharaoh will pay for all our suffering in the end. Just you wait. Wait and see._

* * *

Wow, that took a long while! At least three hours each day for three days. How do you other people write such long chapters? Wait…I now have two pages of reviews? Thank you all… In any case, here are the individual reviewers' "thank yous".

Leona Saclat – You have been the biggest help to me. Thank you so much! I liked your idea, but I didn't want to use it exactly as it was. Originality is very important to me. But like I said, I got the inspiration of the new summary after thinking about what you wrote. Thank you!

Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCaptor – Are you saying you don't write well, or that you think I write very well? I take it as the latter, since you write very well and interestingly. And on a side note, did you find me through the fanfic "Cerulean Eyes"? Anyway, I'm glad you like it, and thank you for the review!

Chynna - Oh? Well, I'm glad you liked my story as much as I liked yours! Thank you for the review!

weiss kittyn – I'm so glad your story's not done! I'm also glad you think this is a great story. Sorry about the absence of my e-mail address – unfortunately, it's my name, and I've been having trouble with my e-mails anyway so I can't create a new one I can use. Ah well. Thank you for continuing your story and for reviewing mine!

Yami no Tsuabsa – To answer your assumption, you assumed correctly. The plot is interesting? You won't believe how happy I was to hear that. True, I'm easily made happy, but still. The plot took/is taking me a lot of time and thought. Also, thanks for the info on the clothing. The kilt thing was a lucky guess on my part. Also, the fact that the Millennium Eye is a simplified version of the Eye of Horus is true. I know their not quite the same, but I was hoping you wouldn't notice ; lol. You're clever. And it's very nice to know you will read more. Thank you for the informative review!


	7. The Inefficient Trial

So sorry for the late update! Almost three weeks have passed since the last update. I now have an e-mail address posted, so please feel free to e-mail me.

Thanks to Leona Saclat, ..., RedEyesDarknessDragonLady, Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCaptor, Silver Fantasy, Amethyst Bubble and also to GothicShadow.

* * *

Chapter 7- The Inefficient Trial

Selket awoke to the sound of someone knocking on her door, followed by a feminine, rather chirpy voice. "Hello? Is anybody in there?" the voice said.

/..._Oh, shut up_/ she thought sleepily. Selket had the tempting notion of intentionally not opening the door until the woman had given up, but then decided it was not in her best interests, as a guest, to ignore possible residents.

Selket had just gotten on her feet when the door opened and a young girl rushed in. She was no older then 15, with spiky blond hair and blue eyes, despite her Egyptian skin. The strange girl had a bounce in her step as she ran to Selket.

"Oh, hello! Its nice to meet you! Sorry to come in though I wasn't invited, but I had to see you before the meanie Priest came."

"Oh!" the girl giggled, touching Selket's robe and adjusting it. It took all of Selket energy to not shove the girl away. "There," the girl stepped back and admired her work. "Much better. Don't want the meanie Priest to say anything bad." /_15? Never mind. Try 12._/

Selket looked at the girl again to find her walking with that bounce back to the door. She stopped and turned back to Selket. "Alright, I have to go now. Hope I'll see you again and best of luck!" with that, she was gone. Selket had a look of annoyance, then of confusion as she looked down at herself. There hadn't been any pain when she got up, even though there should have. In fact, she felt almost comfortable. Because there weren't any cuts. Not even a bruise. Selket looked baffled, but it was quickly hidden when someone new looked through the doorway.

A tall young man with brown hair and blue eyes locked coldly on her. He wore a blue robe and headdress adorned with gold. But the thing that got Selket's attention was the strange gold staff in his hand. /_The Millennium Rod!_/

"Are you the girl from the fields?" he asked her, voice harsh. Selket nodded. "Follow me," he said, turning his back to her. Selket followed him silently into the hall.

For a long time Selket followed behind the man through the long, wide hallways. Eventually, Selket cleared her throat. When the man didn't respond she repeated the noise much louder. "What?" he said in a bored tone. "Excuse me," Selket began, "but where are we?"

The man glared over his shoulder at Selket for a moment and kept walking. "Not very bright, are you? I figured as much from a slave girl. I really cannot believe I am Mahaado's delivery boy for a slave." he muttered the last part.

Selket considered telling the man to shove it, but he beat her to it. "My name is Seto. I am a Priest and a powerful one. You will refer to me as your lord and master if you want to remain standing. Is that clear, slave?"

"The only thing that is clear about you is the space between your ears."1 Priest Seto wheeled around. "What did you say?" he said in a dangerous tone. Selket smirked. "You heard what I said. Or are you that dull? Not very bright, are you?" she retorted.

The Priest was fuming. His hand was moving to the rod when a hand rested on his shoulder. "Calm yourself, Seto. She has been welcomed here." The hand belonged to a man in his early twenties, dressed in white adorned with gold /_What? Is that the style these days?_/ with warm, azure eyes. Around his neck hung the Millennium Ring. His warm eyes seemed to smile at Selket.

Selket forced a smile. "Excuse me, sir...but where is 'here'?"

The new man smiled back. "Here? In the palace of the Pharaoh. I am Priest Mahaado, by the way. It is a pleasure to meet you." Priest Mahaado took her hand in his and kissed it. Selket didn't know what to be more surprised about- the news of where she was or the kiss. She stood silently in shock until Mahaado draped an arm over her shoulders and steered her to the end of the hallway, Seto following with a grumble.

The three of them entered a very large room with a few dozen people inside. Many looked like guards, but about four of them were dressed like the two Priests, all with Millennium items. One man sat at the end if the room in a golden throne. /_A throne? If this is the palace's throne room then that must be-_/ Hate and anger wouldn't allow her thought to continue. He had the strangest apperance, though: large maroon eyes partially covered by blond bangs, which become a star-shaped mass of black and maroon hair.

"Good Morning, honored Pharaoh," said Mahaado and knelt briefly. Priest Seto did the same. Selket, however, did not, and hoped the absence of respect was overlooked. It was.

The Pharaoh sat up and looked directly at Mahaado. "Is this the girl you spoke about?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh," was his response. "I would like to accept this girl as a pupil."

Selket's eyes widened. What did he just say?

Priest Seto sneered. "Absolutely not! What do you know of this girl, Mahaado?"

Mahaado turned to his fellow Priest. "I know she is very strong, but is in need of guidance. If what we saw was true, she would become an excellent sorceress."

"How do we know it was true?" Priest Seto was fuming. "She cannot be trusted, not until we are sure she is not a threat to the Pharaoh. I say she is to be judged by the court of the six Priests!"

"Seto," Mahaado was glaring at the priest as he spoke, "there is no need to involve the court in this, this girl as committed no crime. I say accept her!"

Selket just stood there while the two priests argued. She really didn't understand what was going on, but she figured this "Mahaado" was on her side and Priest Seto wasn't. And also that facing the "court" would not be a good thing in her case.

/_Hmmm. There are six priests. With the exception of the Pharaoh's puzzle, there are six Millennium items. Meaning the other four Millennium item bearers must be priests as well. The court is decided by the items?_/

Right then another priest stepped forward. This one had shoulder-length black hair and was holding what looked like a gold scale.

"I, Kalim, have a proposal to make." He said.

The Pharaoh held up a hand to the priests Seto and Mahaado, who quieted down immediately.

"What if," Kalim continued, "if the girl did not receive full judgment, but only that of the Scales? Surely, if her intent was to do us harm, it would show us without the whole court getting involved."

The Pharaoh nodded in approval. "Very good, Kalim. Get on with your proposal." (A/N: If you havn't read the very first series of Yu-Gi-Oh, this may be a bit confusing)

Kalim walked up to Selket, then extended the hand so that the scales were directly in front of her. Selket didn't even flinch. Then he placed a golden feather on one side of the scales.

Kalim put his other hand on Selket's forehead and spoke to her. "Like the scales of the underworld weigh the hearts of the dead, the Millennium Scales will weigh your heart. If your heart is lighter then the feather of Ma'at, your heart is pure and you will do as Mahaado asks. But should your heart be heavier, you will be punished."

"Now, Millennium Scales, reveal to me her heart!"

Nothing happened. He tried again. "Reveal to me her heart!" The scales still remained balanced, while everyone but Selket and Mahaado looked confused. Things were quiet for a few moments.

"It seems there is a slight malfunction with the items today," said Mahaado to the Pharaoh. "So there is no point in testing her further. What is your decision, my Pharaoh?"

The Pharaoh looked from Mahaado to Selket. His gaze lingered on Selket before returning to Mahaado.

"She will stay."

_Right now, I do not fully understand what happened. Do they really expect the Items to work for "good"? They hide behind the truth. I was accepted into the stronghold, that I understand. And I understand I will watch and wait. Watch and wait... _

* * *

1. Seto just got dissed! If you didn't get it, Selket basically called him an airhead.

Please review! I need motivation because this is becoming painful to write.

Leona Saclat- Thanks! Sorry, you won't get to Selket's revenge for a while. You'll know when the time comes -.

...- Oh, thank you!

RedEyesDarknessDragonLady- Thank you. I updated, so you can keep your end of the bargain  
-.

Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-Inucaptor- Hey, you took the time to finish reading, so why the need for apology? And yes, sponges are completely and utterly evil. Thank you!

Silver Fantasy- Oh? My writing is actually getting better? Thank you!

Amethyst Bubble- Thank you so much! _The_ Amethyst Bubble? I was so happy to get this review. I've read two of your stories, (but didn't get a chance to review) and they're awesome too! Thanks again and see you around.


	8. A New Student

I deeply regret saying this, but I will not be updating from Sunday the 24th of July to Sunday the 7th of August. I am going where no internet is available. There maybe more updates before then. Please enjoy the updates until that time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Chapter 8- A New Student

Selket sat on a table, swinging her feet slightly as she waited. After her incident in the throne room, she had been led by a man with pitch black hair covering his eyes back through the hallways and into another room. The strange thing about it were the books, piled high from floor to ceiling, quantities covering the floor with the exception of the table Selket was sitting on. Her escort told her to wait there as he closed the door behind him.

Perhaps she was waiting for Mahaado, and truthfully she didn't think she'd mind if she was. Much. She had to admit, he was a very interesting character indeed. That still didn't change the fact that Selket hated waiting.

She looked up sharply as she heard the door open with a creak. A girl walked in, one who looked familiar. Did she always look that happy? The chirpiness was to the point of annoying. Blue eyes among spiky blond bangs met Selket's gaze. /_The girl from my room earlier! Oh Gods, spare me._/

"Ah, you passed!" exclaimed the girl. Then she smiled. "Of course you did, that is. By the way, my name is Mana. What's yours?"

Selket was slightly taken aback. It occurred to her that no one in the palace had yet asked her her name. How trusting could fools be? "Selket," she answered. "Pleased to meet you again, Mana." /_under a great big rock, that is._/

"Now that we know each other, Selket, is it true you insulted Seto? Everyone's talking about it! I mean, its really amazing for someone to insult a Priest, especially the meanie Seto, without…you know, 'punishment'. Did you really do it?"

/_It_ _appears I have already made an impression here. I should really keep my head down…but where was the fun in that? I bow to no one! Eat my dust, damn royals!_/

Selket laughed. Mana must have thought was her response, because she didn't ask again. Instead, she came to sit by Selket on the table. They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Did they explain anything to you?" Mana asked suddenly.

Selket truthfully shook her head. "I was about to ask you about that. Why am I here?"

Mana looked at Selket questioningly. "They really haven't told you anything? Wow. Anyway, you know there are six Priests, right?"

Mana waited for Selket's nod before continuing. "Each Priest has their own job, aside from protecting the honored Pharaoh, right? Well, Mahaado is both the protector of the sacred tombs _and_ the palace sorcerer." Mana paused. "You _do_ believe in magic, don't you?"

"I…have come across magic many times," Selket responded, choosing her words carefully.

Mana smiled again. "Good," she said, "because that is what you're here for. As the sorcerer, Mahaado chooses two pupils to pass his magic skills onto. I think we're one of the first women to do this- with the exception of Isis, of course. She has the Millennium Tauk. But since you're here we can get the real training! We're really very lucky. I can't wait!"

Maybe Mana's excitement was rubbing off on her, but Selket was interested to say the least. But she felt a twinge of something similar to worry. What was she getting herself into? She shouldn't dig herself in too deep. Holes make good covers, but, if dug too deep, they became ruts that could not easily be climbed out of.

Somewhere she noticed many was still talking to her. Some useless information about what it was like outside or something like that. Selket looked directly into Mana's eyes. "You really like to talk, don't you?" she muttered.

"Huh?"

Before Selket had to come up with an explanation, another person entered the room. It was the man who had led her to the room. Selket got a better look at him this time. He wore a long black cloak, as opposed the Priests white ones. He was brushing his pitch black hair into his eyes with long, slender fingers. He was also rather tall, even for a man. He practically towered over Selket, who wasn't exactly short. Other then that, she couldn't tell what he looked like because the cloak covered nearly his entire body.

The man turned his body to face the two girls, so Selket assumed he was looking at them. "Mana!" he exclaimed, "Long time no see. What're you doing here?" He spoke loudly and excitedly, his voice sounding younger then Selket expected it to be. Judging from his voice, he was about as old as Selket, if not younger.

Mana giggled. "Silly, you're supposed to see to the new student today. Her name's Selket," she said, jabbing her thumb in Selket's direction. /_I am surrounded by idiots_./

The young man seemed to just notice Selket was in the room, for he fell silent at her mentioning. Selket smiled at him in a silent greeting. He smiled back, but remained quiet. The silence hung in the air for a few moments. Mana broke it saying, "It's alright, Deshret. She hasn't learned anything yet." Selket was confused. Learned what? Lessons?

"Yeah, I'm Deshret. Like Mana just said. Uh…Great to meet you an' all, Ket." He spoke slowly, as though he was unsure of what to say next. He had a sense of anxiety this time when he spoke, unlike what he had been when he talked to Mana. /_Wait…Ket? Only Bakura calls me that! How dare he!_/

"I'm supposed to teach you what you are potential of…yeah. Are you ready to learn, 'Ket?" /_Not from him I'm not. (mental snort) Did Mana not say our teacher was that priest Mahaado?_/ "Excuse me," said Selket to Deshret, keeping her tone polite, "but isn't Mahaado our teacher?"

Deshret scratched his dark head. "Well…yeah. I help him out when he's busy though."

"Should he not be here then? I mean, it is my first day of being a student of his. I think it would be fair of him to introduce me to this new way of learning first. He isthe real sorcerer, after all."

Deshret flinched. The words seemed to have struck him somewhere. However, Selket knew he would never guess she had done it intentionally because the sentence seemed so innocent. Mana didn't seem to notice it either. She was already preoccupied with a book she had picked up, so Selket doubted she had heard at all.

She saw it had worked when Deshret nodded his head in agreement. "You're right," he said, "I'll see if I can get Master Mahaado to teach you today." With that, he turned his back to the girls. As he was leaving, Selket noticed a large lump that was covered beneath the cloak. It looked very strange, but Selket dismissed it as a hunchback. /_It sure would explain his shyness, though._/

When the door closed, Mana dropped her book. "Wow, Ket. Deshret must like you. Usually when he meets someone new, especially someone with a high ranking, he goes completely silent in their presence for weeks."

Selket laughed. "Maybe I am special."

"Yeah, Maybe you have a gift or something. You seem to bring out a new side of people. You're totally honest, that's why."

Selket had nothing to say to that.

_I was so angry. Deshret returned ours later without Mahaado. They both had been delayed, he had said, and Mahaado couldn't see us until tomorrow. Deshret let us go back to our rooms for the night, but not before giving me a book. He said Mahaado wanted me to read it. Truthfully, the book is amazing. Not really about magic itself, but interesting just the same. I could get used to learning about this sort of thing, as long as that girl Mana stays out of my way. I will enjoy this to the fullest while I am here. Until then. _

* * *

Hope the chapter didn't bore anybody to death. If I haven't updated by Sunday afternoon, I'll see ya in two weeks!

My thanks to the following:

My PenName is …- Thanks …! Was that part really that odd? That's good actually. Good you picked up on it.

Silver Fantasy- I probably deserved that. Sorry. In anycase, thank you for the review!

Leona Saclat- Wow, I'm glad somebody else has an interest in mythology. You're right. The "devourer Apep" has many names and forms, depending on the place and time period in ancient Egypt. Thank you very much for the review!

Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCapter- Lol! Yeah, Seto isn't the nicest person, but Mahaado is. No wonder they fight. Thank you!


	9. A Strange Meeting

Ah, so good to be back! I apologize, especially to Silver Fantasy, for not updating. Something happened with the updating process. Anyway, thanks to Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCaptor, Silver Fantasy, and Leona Saclat (1234567 L).

Chapter 9- A Strange Meeting

Selket opened her eyes slowly. She was sitting in the library, the same room where she had last seen Mana and Deshret last week. She looked down to see a book in her lap, and with a start noticed she had fallen asleep while reading again. Selket sighed at herself, telling herself she had been doing so for five nights straight now, and she'd probably get sick or something.

But, how she loved to read! Hidden worlds revealed themselves at the turn of a page, a sanctuary that she could immerse herself in. Simple things she never knew existed, things from real, foreign lands that seemed like fantasies, like majestic mountains or grass fields or waterfalls. She loved the strange new creatures that materialized before her mind's eye, and where and how they lived. Old civilizations. New ones. Lost ones. She also read about their Gods as well as more about her own. Their ways, her ways. Stories, poems, anything! She adored it so with a passion.

The book she had been reading was about a girl in some sort of a cult (which had disbanded quite some time ago) where she would be sacrificed to a god of the Underworld. It was decided at her birth she would only live to sixteen. The girl finds this out when she is young, and vows to relieve herself of her fate. But she cannot leave, for her sister relies heavily on her because of an illness that leaves her bed-ridden. The two love each other, and cannot be separated. The girl grows to become fearless, independent, clever, and even a little crazy, unlike the "place" of the other women who are fragile and empty as glass dolls. It reminded Selket of herself a little.

Unfortunately, the rest of the pages were missing, to Selket's disappointment. She wondered why, and it occurred to her that the dismantler had thought it was not appropriate for women. /_But how many have the pleasure of reading?_/ Selket mused. /_Of course, Bakura let me read, wanted me to read. There wasn't much we could get, but we would read to each other when we could. That was so special, I... Ra, I miss Bakura…/_

Even though she was thinking about Bakura a lot, she really was happy there, surrounded by books. By staying in the library, she had managed to avoid both Mana and Seto. For some reason Mana avoided the room as Selket avoided her, preferring to be outside doing Ra-knows-what. Selket had no idea what Seto was doing, and couldn't care less as long as it didn't involve her. Come to think, she hadn't seen Mahaado or Deshret since her first day. The two of them, she had heard, where building the current Pharaoh's tomb. /_Better hurry, you two. The Pharaoh may be needing it soon…but, come to think, I haven't even actually_ seen _the Pharaoh Atemu. Perhaps it is for the better./_

Selket peered into the hallway, and confirming it was empty, walked to her room. She had learned to navigate the hallways of the palace, to her it was like the hallways of a tomb; in a tomb, getting to your destination is hard enough, but getting back was harder. Keep your eyes open or they will be closed for good.

She thought about this as she took a long bath. As she stepped out, he eyes caught herself in the mirror and was transfixed once again.

Selket was both tall and thin, but muscles could be seen along her arms and legs and stomach, destroying anyone's ideas of her being fragile. Brown-sugar skin peeked through the strands of her long, black hair that flowed down to her waist. Strong chin, average nose (A/N: ahem, noses all look the same in anime), small mouth and lips. She was slightly curvy, too, which didn't hurt. But Selket's favourite feature was her eyes. Amethyst coloured eyes looked back into hers, small irises barely visible. They were slightly narrowed giving her a near serious look. The kind of eyes that looked as though they could see right through you. She was a little curvy, too, which didn't hurt. What did Selket see in her reflection? A beautiful, strong 18-year-old woman that could take anyone down.

Of course, there where hidden features that she had. There were the scars on her face. It was hard to cover them, since there were three of them, two running horizontally under her left eye and one running right through it vertically. She was surprised she wasn't blind in her left eye. The other feature was on her left arm, where there was a winding black tattoo twisting its way along her forearm. Where had that come from? She shrugged it off as she applied the make-up to the scars and stepped into a clean robe. She tugged the long sleeves to cover the mark.

/_About time I payed a visit to a friend_/ she thought, stepping back into the hallway.

_/Damn, I didn't think the palace was this big/ _Selket had been walking for a while, and still there was no sign of an exit. But she wasn't about to ask anyone the way, after all, thieves know their surroundings inside-out, right? Right?

She turned a corner and stopped short. Who else would be standing there but Priest Seto? His back was turned to Selket, so he didn't see her. However, he did see someone else.

Someone else sat on they're knees in front of the Priest, surrounded by water and broken glass. He appeared to be wimpering.

"…sorry, Master, I-I'm sorry…"

Selket heard Seto snort. "Sorry, is that all you are? Are you really? Know your place, freak. You are lucky the Pharaoh is kind enough to let a monster like you stay here…I, however, am not as kind. Watch yourself, you might get hurt." The Priest raised the back of his hand as if to slap the kneeling man, when someone brushed past Selket and caught his arm.

"_You are mine…" /…Father/_

"Mercy is not one of your virtues, is it, Priest Seto?"

"…Shada…" the man named Shada was glaring at his fellow Priest with blank, blue eyes. His bald and tattooed head and his serious expression made him look scary. The Millennium Key rested on his chest.

"_You have taken your first step…" /Shada…/_

Seto sneered at the man on his knees, "Later." He went back down the hall. Shada followed him, white robes swishing.

_/That man, that Priest…Shada. Where…my Father? Why did I think of my Father, after so long? I feel…I have met him before./_

Something growled. What was that? Selket looked over to see the man who had been on his knees. His face was contorted into a mask of hatred, but his eyes were covered by black hair…Deshret/_How could that energetic person act like a wimp? Well sure, most people are probably intimidated by Seto, but…_/

"Deshret!" Was that her calling out to him?

"'Ket! Er, where did you come from?" he said quickly, expression changing to surprise.

Selket knelt by him and picked up the shards of broken glass. "Ne, passing by. You alright?"

He continued to look surprised as she threw the shards into a large empty vase. "Fine," he answered. "Just dropped something. Damn that Priest!"

Selket looked at him. "Priest?"

"Yeah, I ran into…Never mind. I'm leaving." He stood up and walked in the direction Selket had come from.

"Wait!" she called, running after him. He stopped and turned his head to look at her (she thought so anyway). "I'm going to the training grounds," he answered the unspoken question, "I need to hit something. So leave me alone."

Selket's fighting spirit burned. "I will come with you, then."

He looked surprised again, before shifting to anger. "I said no. You're a girl, you wanna get hurt?"

Selket glared at him. Her, not fight? Don't think so. "You think a girl cannot fight, eh?"

"That's not what I said. But…face it, 'Ket. Think you can beat me?"

Selket smirked. "Like to see? Let's go, right here, right now."

Deshret expression became unreadable, then he smirked too. "Alright, then. Bring it on!" He charged at Selket. As he brought back his fist, Selket stepped aside. His punch missed and he went flying past her. "Hey!" he growled. He turned and came up with his left fist. Selket stepped aside again and caught his wrist. His shocked look lasted a second before she lifted up her knee hard and hit him square in the stomach. He doubled over, coughing. "How…did…you…do that?" he said between coughs.

Selket smiled. "Practice," she replied in a cheerful tone. "Yeah, well, next time I'll beat you," Deshret said, straightening up. She noticed his hair was awry, and for the first time she could see his eyes. They were blood-red orbs, surrounded by black where the whites should have been. They looked like…a monsters…

Deshret looked up and noticed what she was looking at. He turned on his heel had walked away from her quickly, covering his eyes again with his hair. His hunchback seemed to sway angrily. What had she just seen?

"Deshret!" No answer. He was gone._ /Never mind him, now how do I get out/ _

"'Ket!" Mana?

"'Ket," Mana called from up the hall. The girl ran up to Selket. "I've been looking all over for you! Mahaado's back!"

_Mahaado, back? Now we may begin. Wait, my friend, patience…_

This chapter was meant to be longer, but it's best to wait until next chapter for that.

Yami-AJ Yu-Yu-InuCaptor- Thank you! Come to think, Deshret is shady…

Silver Fantasy- Yeah, Selket is fearless, but she's arrogant too. Bakura makes an appearance next chapter, too. Thanks!

1234567 L- Thanks. Why a change in name? And you don't have anything posted! Ah, well.


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